Granit Xhaka fires brutal Arsenal Premier League title warning to Bayer Leverkusen team-mates

Granit Xhaka has used Arsenal's failed title challenge of last season as an example to explain why Bayer Leverkusen cannot get carried away at the top of the Bundesliga table.

The ex-Arsenal captain is in the middle of an extraordinary campaign with Leverkusen, who lead Bayern Munich by ten points with ten matches to play in the German top flight.

Leverkusen are yet to lose a single match this term, across all competitions, and are now closing in on a first-ever Bundesliga title. Refusing to get carried away by this remarkable record, though, Xhaka has referenced his final season with the Gunners as evidence of how things can quickly go wrong when you are sitting pretty in first place.

Mikel Arteta's side ended the season five points behind Manchester City, despite having led the Sky Blues for the vast majority of 2022/23, after winning only three of their remaining nine fixtures.

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Drawing on this disappointment when discussing Leverkusen extending their advantage over Bayern this weekend, Xhaka told ESPN: «It's good and we can be proud of it, but nothing is won yet. I am speaking about my own experience of what I had last season. I think it was similar points over second and we didn't win the league. I know the experience and this is what I shared with the dressing room. Of course, 10 points is a lot in football when you have 10 games left.»

Pushed further on whether he has warned his team-mates about what happened at Arsenal, the Swiss star added: «For sure — and they know. They are asking me day by day 'You've been in this situation, how was